Career coach: Use social media wisely to boost your appeal to recruiters
Virginia Tech’s Career and Professional Development can help students optimize their Linkedin profiles for fall career fairs and internship and job searches.
It may seem like the semester just started, but it’s already career fair season at Virginia Tech.
Career and Professional Development (CPD) hosts and offers comprehensive information on career fairs so you can plan your attendance at events that interest you.
The Pamplin College of Business’ Business Horizons is happening this week. Right around the corner is the 44th Virginia Tech Engineering Expo – one of the largest student-run career fairs in the country – which will be held in-person Sept. 12-14 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
As you begin to think about careers, what about LinkedIn? Should you have a profile on this social media platform? With over 810 million users globally, LinkedIn reports that more than 35 million individuals have found their job match through a LinkedIn connection, 87 percent of recruiters actively use the platform to find potential candidates, and many employers view LinkedIn as a secondary resume.
“As a student at Virginia Tech, you’ll find plenty of job search resources at CPD,” said Cody Smith, program coordinator. “Don’t be intimidated by LinkedIn. CPD shares helpful guides about why and how to harness LinkedIn.”
- Learn about the five primary reasons to be on Linkedin and find a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to write your LinkedIn profile, including how to pick a profile photo.
- Learn about communicating effectively with the different types of connections you have.
- One more article for those who still need convincing.
Don’t let the lack of a professional photo become a speedbump to your LinkedIn profile. Career and Professional Development can help through its Iris professional photo booth, a new service of free professional photos for students, available by appointment between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Iris is intuitive, convenient, and easily accessible. In 15 minutes, it can take three rounds of photos with professional lighting and simple prompts, sends the photos right to your email, and allows you to touch them up, change your background, and adjust as you like.
If you still have questions about setting up your LinkedIn profile, see the staff at Career and Professional Development, appointments can be made on Handshake or by calling 540-231-6241. Advising appointments are available in person, by Zoom, and by phone any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. whenever the university is in session.
Career and Professional Development is located in Smith Career Center on the Blacksburg campus.
